A FIRST Robotics Competition is as fun and exciting as other sporting events. However, rather than athletic skills, it requires skills in engineering, electronics, computers, strategy, teamwork, and marketing.

Students compete with over 2000 teams from around the world for awards and scholarships. The World Championships are televised on NASA TV.

Sponsored by FIRST

The Competition is sponsored by the FIRST organization, whose vision is "To transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology heroes."

Six Weeks from Kit to Competition

The FIRST Robotics Competition is a unique sport of the mind. It challenges teams of young people and their mentors to solve a common problem in a six-week timeframe using a standard "kit of parts" and a common set of rules. Designed by Dean Kamen, Dr. Woodie Flowers, and a committee of engineers and other professionals, the objective of the game is different every year.

From the parts in the kit, teams must design, build, and program a robot that will solve the challenge the game poses. Then the teams enter their robots and compete in one or more of the FIRST competitions, held in regions around the country.

Designing and building a robot is a fascinating real-world professional experience, where the students get to work with the pros and learn from them. And competing on stage at the Regional and National competitions brings participants as much excitement as a sporting event would.

A New Take on Winning

FIRST redefines winning for these students, because they are rewarded for excellence in design, demonstrated team spirit, gracious professionalism and maturity, and the ability to overcome obstacles. Scoring the most points is a secondary goal. Winning means building partnerships that last.

Silicon Valley Regional 2011

This year's Regional will be held on March 31-April 2 at the San Jose State University Event Center.

Thursday, March 31 is a practice day, where the teams get to do trial runs with their robots and form alliances with other teams.

Friday and Saturday are the competition days, where two alliances of three teams each compete in elimination rounds until the finals. The competition will start at 9:00 a.m. on Friday and go until 5:00. On Saturday, competition will start at 9:00 a.m. and end in the mid-afternoon, followed by the Awards Ceremony.

San Jose State University Event Center is located at 290 South 7th Street, San Jose, CA 95192. Get map and directions.